Lupo and his new partner, Kevin Bernard, discover that a woman's suicide may actually be a murder. The case appears to be tied to a secretive religious group that some people consider a cult... Read allLupo and his new partner, Kevin Bernard, discover that a woman's suicide may actually be a murder. The case appears to be tied to a secretive religious group that some people consider a cult, but is the group to blame?Lupo and his new partner, Kevin Bernard, discover that a woman's suicide may actually be a murder. The case appears to be tied to a secretive religious group that some people consider a cult, but is the group to blame?
Photos
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBill Irwin, who plays Ellison Conway in this episode, also plays Olivia Benson's therapist on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).
- GoofsWhen Bradley is using an extremely loud drill press in his studio, he is not wearing any hearing protection.
- Quotes
Cyrus Lupo: The M.E. never did an autopsy on the baby. Once they get a diagnosis from the doctor, it's rubber stamp time. The kid was cremated.
Anita Van Buren: "The Life System" by Ellison Conway. "The bestselling guide to reclaiming your human destiny". How did I get through life without reading this?
Cyrus Lupo: Well, I couldn't get through it without aspirin, but there's no mention of detoxing babies.
Anita Van Buren: Well, could the Camerons have imagined the whole thing?
Kevin Bernard: [handing her a report] They'd have a hell of an imagination. Sofia's notes. She alleges that there was a conspiracy against them by Systemotics. There's a list there of sabotaged gallery openings, lost friendships, people following them.
Anita Van Buren: People who write stuff like this usually line their hats with aluminum foil.
Kevin Bernard: And sometimes commit suicide.
Cyrus Lupo: And sometimes they're right and nobody believes 'em.
For a first episode of theirs, "Bogeyman" shows that there was a long way to go and it is not a success yet. As an episode overall it's not bad at all, made better by the legal portions, but it also could have been a lot better and there was a bland and (understandably) unsettled feel at times. A bit of a letdown after the brilliant "Burn Card", one of the weaker episodes of Season 18 and closer to the uneven quality of the first six outings of the season rather than the vast improvement seen with "Quit Claim" onwards. Again, it's above average with quite a lot to like, just a bit lacking.
Am going to start with the good. It's slickly shot and tightly edited with no drabness or garishness in sight, even with the gritty tone. The music is not too melodramatic and is thankfully not constant. The direction is not consistent but is strong and has the right amount of momentum and sympathy in the legal portion. Which have come on a long way since the start of the season, and the legal scenes here are not the dull and over predictable ones seen pre-"Quit Claim".
The second half is much better than the first, not amazing or mind blowing but Cutter commands the courtroom every bit as much as McCoy and Linus Roache is getting better and better with each appearance. The acting is very good from lead and supporting, the only debit being Jeremy Sisto whose acting seemed on the fatigued side.
Lupo was on the bland side, he worked really well with Green as a co lead but in the main lead role as Green's replacement the position needed a lot more of the gritty edge that Green had and Lupo doesn't yet. Anthony Anderson is a good deal more animated as the more interesting character of the two, you wouldn't be blamed if you thought that he was Green's replacement. The chemistry between them doesn't gel enough here and comes over as too much of a disconnect.
While liking the second half, the first is rather routine and predictable and the whole could have done with more tension and surprises.
Concluding, not bad but also not great. 6/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 17, 2022